Posting on the Facebook page set up in order to find someone to adopt the dog, Stephnanie Fryns, said she had spoken to the kennel, that she had arranged to adopt the dog, and that she would go to pick it up when it opened. She named the dog Elton.

The owner thought he was gay, because the dog was seen “hunched over” another male dog, and so he thought he was showing signs of being gay.

Historically such behaviour was seen as a sign of dominance, and wouldn’t be indicative of a dog’s sexual orientation.

More recent research from MichaelBaugh.com shows research which suggests that such behaviour is “merely a nonspecific sign of arousal”, and that dogs will hump other dogs, or inanimate objects for “play” reasons, or because of nervousness or excitement, and that it is not necessarily a sign of sexual urge.

Those critical of the decision by the owner leading up to these events, have said that, even if the behaviour did indicate that the dog was gay, it wasn’t a reason to warrant turning him in to an overcrowded kennel.

A statement on the Facebook post giving details of the dog read that the shelter “open at 9am and he will die by 1pm if not adopted as he was an owner surrender. Adoption fee is 38.00 and that only includes a voucher for a rabies shot. He looks to be a pit/american bulldog mix.”

The post, by a Facebook account named, Jackson TN Euthanasia, notes that the dog was at Jackson Rabies Control, 146 Miller Ave, in Jackson, Tennessee.

Other users posted that other kennels had offered to take the dog, and some encouraged those considering adopting the dog to take on one of the other dogs at the shelter which could be put down.